Before we get to the Misfits news, a short explainer for the olds among you. I’ve been seeing a lot of press about this cable channel Freeform of late, and I thought it was a plucky upstart station that reran a lot of episode of The Middle (a really good show, by the way, and perfect for syndication). I’d heard that Freeform had greenlit two new series, Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger and New Warriors but I didn’t pay much attention because plucky new channels rarely amount to anything (remember Al Gore’s Current TV? Yeah, no one else does, either).

Because I am not in the Freeform demo, however, it didn’t occur to me until the channel greenlit a series I actually care about to research it, which is why I am only now realizing that Freeform is not a plucky new upstart, but actually a rebranding of ABC Family, the network behind Pretty Little Liars, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and 10 Things I Hate About You, which are not only shows I have heard of, but that I have actually sampled (eventually dismissing them because I am not of that demo).

So, the good news/bad news about The Misfits is that it’s been picked up by a legit channel, but that legit channel is primarily aimed at the 16-24 demo. I never really thought of the British version of The Misfits as a series aimed at the 16-24 demo, but then again, I never really thought that about the British Skins, either. They were just really good shows.

In either respect, The Misfits is coming to Freeform, and while I’m skeptical that it will be as edgy as the British version with Joseph Gilgun and Ruth Negga (now both on Preacher) and Iwan Rheon (Ramsey Bolton on Game of Thrones), it could be decent?

The series is about a group of delinquent youths who get caught up in a freak storm while doing community service. The first season of the British series had five main cast members, and four of those have now been cast on the American version. Ashleigh LaThrop has been cast in the Antonia Thomas role, Alicia; Tre Hall has been cast in the Nathan Stewart-Jarrett role (Curtis); Allie MacDonald (Orphan Black) will play Kelly, originally played by Lauren Socha; and Bobby’s kid, Jake Cannavale (Nurse Jackie) is in the Robert Sheehan role, Nathan. They’re all largely newcomers.

It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from this version of the series. American versions are never as good in the first place, and I don’t know what to think about Freeform. On the one hand, it has featured some edgier fare like Pretty Little Liars, but it also airs the 700 Club with Pat Robertson, so …